Home>News>Grants Awarded to Promising Researchers Examining Questions Related to the Future of Public Health Services University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Researcher Receives National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services & Systems Research Award

Grants Awarded to Promising Researchers Examining Questions Related to the Future of Public Health Services University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Researcher Receives National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services & Systems Research Award

LEXINGTON, KY- A University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences researcher is among nine promising investigators recently awarded grants to conduct research that will provide public health practitioners with valuable information – evidence that will in particular help guide financial and workforce decisions critical to the future of the public
health system in the wake of the Affordable Care Act.

Michael Preston, MPH, director of cancer control, was awarded the $10,000, one-year grant by the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR). The Center’s sixth round of Junior Investigator Awards will not only produce evidence needed by the public health community, but also will help develop new qualified investigators in PHSSR. The field aims to examine the organization, financing and delivery of public health services.

The goal of Preston’s research is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of health care reform on overall colorectal cancer screening, disparities in screening, and the role of provider recommendation in mediating these efforts. Made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the awards to doctoral candidates and junior faculty give awardees an opportunity to work closely with prominent PHSSR experts as they launch their careers. The studies are set to be completed by spring 2014.

Over the past five years, the National Coordinating Center has awarded more than 30 grants to junior PHSSR investigators. Click here for a complete list of the 2013 PHSSR Junior Investigator Award recipients and their projects. Find out more here about previous recipients and their research.

“We are beginning to see the results of our earlier rounds of Junior Investigator Awards,” said F. Douglas Scutchfield, M.D., director of the National Coordinating Center for PHSSR. “Our junior investigators are growing into senior investigators and leaders in public health research generally, and PHSSR specifically.”

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, measurable and timely change. For 40 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit http://www.rwjf.org.

About the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research
The goal of the National Coordinating Center is to grow the field of PHSSR by coordinating current PHSSR investments, supporting real-world applications, and strengthening the capacity of researchers and practitioners. The Center also works to determine the future direction of the field’s research initiatives; translate that research into practice; increase the visibility of the work; and attract other funders to the field. For more information, visit www.publichealthsystems.org.